Contributing Writer and Guest Post Articles Best Practices Guide

contributing blog articlesHow to contribute guest post articles to websites or blogs to build quality inbound links and relevant website referral traffic

A version of this article originally appeared on MarineMarketingTools.com

Creating content for other company sites is almost as important as creating content for your own website or blog. Guest blog posting, or writing articles as a contributor, can help build valuable inbound traffic to your own site. There are also many advantages for your own site’s search engine ranking and your individual author rank with search engines.

When done right, establishing a good network of websites or blogs that you contribute to outside of your own will help build your inbound traffic, while building recognition and credibility for you and your business in boating.

The good news is that there is a lot of opportunity to collaborate more in the small business industry with guest blog posts. But how do you get started with finding and submitting to relevant blogs or websites?

Here are some best practices to get started on submitting guest blog posts and contributor articles to help you get started.

Choose Topics and Blogs Relevant to Your Business

If you are seeking new guest post opportunities then you should target company blogs that are focused on a topic relevant to your business. For one, you’ll have a better chance of being accepted as a guest poster because your company and topic is a natural fit. The other big advantage is that you’ll get more juice for your own website with search engines because you have inbound links from a related site with related keywords.

Contribute Fresh, Original Articles

When you offer to contribute to another site you cannot simply re-post previously written articles from your own site. From a search engine standpoint it does not benefit your site or the site you are contributing to because it could be considered “duplicate content” and hurt one or both website’s rankings on search engines. But the bigger reason is that most sites will require fresh, new content that adds value to their site.

Be ready to create original content for the site. It also helps to already have a topic in mind that would be a good fit for the website or blog (based on the overall theme or types of topics covered) as well as a good fit to backlink to your own site. You can repurpose content from previously written articles on your own site, but it must be re-written enough that it is considered fresh and original – including a new title, new sentences structures and wording throughout the article.

Important: Do not send an article that only promotes your business – it will likely get rejected or you will be asked to re-write it. Keep your article informative and subtly mention your business and/or link keywords as appropriate without being overtly promotional.

Follow Guest Posting Requirements

Sites that regularly accept guest posts or contributor articles will likely have their requirements posted on their contact page or on a guest post page summary (usually under “Write for Us” or “Contribute”).

If you are approaching a website or blog for a guest post opportunity, be sure to review their published guidelines and reassure them that your content will meet those guidelines. If the site does not have published guidelines then let them know you will follow guest post best practices:

  • Article will be on relevant topic
  • Content will be unique and original
  • Article will include one outbound link and author bio
  • Article will be submitted with an appropriate image (with source attribution)

Ask for Contributor Recognition

Be sure to ask for recognition on the article page as so that you are getting proper visibility for your guest post. One outbound link within the article as well as a link in an author bio at the end of the article is a typical best practice with guest posts.

Bonus visibility would be having the ability to add your social media account links in your author bio and getting a listing on a contributor page (although typically reserved for repeat contributors).

Co-Promote Guest Post and/or Contributor Posts

The site you contribute to will likely promote your guest post across their social media sites once the post is published. This can be great additional exposure for you and your company – particularly if the site is well respected in the industry.

It is also a good practice to co-promote your posts with your own social media sites to extend the reach of the post.

Promoting your guest posts further also positions YOU as an industry expert by showing your company followers that you contribute to another industry site. It helps to build your personal and company reputation as an industry thought leader.

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Editorial Staff

This article was written by SBMarketingTools.com editorial staff.